


Protect and Serve

by noo



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-08 07:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1129886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noo/pseuds/noo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What makes a person choose to become a police officer?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protect and Serve

**Author's Note:**

> An exploration on what made John, Sandra, Valerie and Richard join the police force. Inspired by Joel Wyman's comments in the recent SFX Magazine article about why someone would want a career in such a dangerous job.

Sandra looked down at her screen. It was stupid how they expected her to decide what career she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Her parents had changed careers three times since they graduated, but still they thought she could make up her mind for the rest of her life now. She was 14. There was so much to do and she wanted to get to 18 first. 30 was so far away to be thinking about what she was going to be doing by then.

Casey was sure she was going to be a fashion designer, Jade, a model/actress/reality star, Kendall, a lawyer, and Desi was going to be a mechanic like her dad, (she already knew more about cars than most of the boys and Sandra loved to see their faces fall when they realized it). But she, she had no idea.

She wanted to help, she knew that. Nursing or being a doctor didn’t call to her. Her aunt was a nurse and she was adamant that even now it was still all about cleaning out bed pans and vomit most of the time. There was one thing there on the list. She ticked that box and moved on, decision made and she could always change it later anyway.

 

oOo

 

“So, John, what do you want to be when you grow up?” John remembered first being asked this when he was in kindergarten. The answer was always the same.

“My dad!”

Even in high school with his football talent and the scouts making noises and coach telling him to apply for scholarships, John only wanted one thing. To join the Academy. Football was great, crowds chanting your name, all the right attention from the girls, awesome! It was nothing like the stories from his dad and the other officers though. Plus girls really liked the uniforms and he would look _good_ in it.

Saving people, helping. Nothing better than that. Yeah, it might be dangerous, but where is the fun if it didn’t have a bit of danger?

 

oOo

 

“Hey Val, you coming over tomorrow night? We’ve got the NYPD Blues season download to watch. Dad was able to get copies from work.”

“Original or reboot?” Val asked, moving aside the books in her locker, reaching back to get her soccer cleats out from where they were hiding.

“New one. That old one was weird, I mean, seriously who thinks the red haired guy was hot, and the other one, yeah, not hot either,” Arya said.

Val laughed as she closed the locker and leaned back against it, watching her fellow classmates hurrying back and forth, trying not to notice all the little changes she saw, who was dating who now, who was having a feud with whom and who hadn’t done their homework.

“Hot is relative and some things don’t have to have hot people in it to be good.”

“You are so weird at times. But then again, hello Princess of the Year, like you don’t have to worry about people not thinking you are hot. Even your obsession with serial killers is thought of as ‘cute’ by Louis,” Arya said.

“I’m not obsessed by serial killers. It’s a profile on one of the top profilers in the early part of the century who helped to catch some of the most notorious serial killers,” Val said as they started to walk to the gym, ignoring the compliment on her looks and about Louis. Being named after an old popstar had people treating him as if he was the reincarnation of said apparent pop ‘God’. Sometimes she wished she didn’t look like she did either. People forgot she had a brain in her head. Other times, it was handy.

“Whatever. Just please don’t tell us who did it before the episodes are is over,” Arya complained as she twisted to avoid being pushed over by some late to class basketballers.

Val smiled. It was something that most people got annoyed with her about, especially from family. Apparently they liked to wait until the end for it to be revealed who did it, and how. Especially when they were watching Sherlock. She figured out how he did it straight away, how people were still arguing about that she didn’t know. She wasn’t a high functioning sociopath, but she did like puzzles and people could be puzzles.

She wasn’t planning on turning to a life of crime for the easy money, unlike what most people in this district were thought to be. She wanted to stop them, make it easier for the everyone to live, to go to work, to come to school and not have to worry about security checks and scans for weapons every day.

“C’mon, hurry up,” Val said as she grabbed Arya by the hand. “I don’t want to be late, hopefully Jinx lets us out early. I’m meeting Dad at the shooting range tonight.”

“You and your guns!” Arya teased.

“Got to have a hobby,” Val replied as they walked into the change rooms. “At least mine isn’t called ‘oh Louis, you are so sexy!’”

“Hey!” Arya said as she threw her top in Val’s direction.

Val just laughed as it floated down to the bench. She had plans for her future and teenage boys with their needs were not a part of it. But she never begrudged Arya’s delight in them, just didn’t mean she was going to let her off scot free either. Valerie had a different calling.

 

oOo

 

Richard bristled at being called “short-ass” again. At least they had moved up from calls for him to go back to ‘mehico’. Richard’s family had been in America longer than those pieces of shit.

“Don’t think you are gonna be so tough when I’m hauling your ass onto The Barge,” Richard said as he wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the four other boys from his position on the ground. He was going to get in so much trouble again for fighting, but there was no way he was letting these guys get away with it.

“Don’t they have a height minimum to the Academy?” Kayden smirked at him as he leaned over Richard.

Idiot put himself within range, so Richard kicked out quickly, getting him hard on the shin and then jumped up and out of range of them all as fast as he could. These dumbasses were too concerned about their friend howling about his pain on the ground to come after him.

“They have an IQ minimum and you guys would never make it,” Richard sniped before taking off down the alley.

He might be little compared to them, but he had muscle and speed, and he had knowledge on where to hit. Five against one wasn’t the fairest fight though. When he was far enough away, and he was sure he wasn’t followed, he slowed to a walk and sucked in deep breaths. His reflection in a shop window caught his attention, so he stopped and used it to wipe all the blood off his face. At least there wasn’t so much this time. He made sure to use the inside of his sleeve. He might be able to get away without the fight marks being spotted.

The fuckers had been picking on Zoe and Anthony again and, yeah, Richard knew he had a smart mouth on him. They were his friends and no one picked on his friends. His father had told him so many times that his smart mouth was going to get the better of him. All he had to do was survive another four months and he would be out of this shitty District and he would be at the Academy.

He was going to become a cop and get the respect he knew he deserved. His mother and father were already proud of him for being accepted. They loved him, but that was their job, even if he had to listen to lectures about the fighting. He was going to make sure shits like Kayden and his posse didn’t rule the districts. Kayden’s older brother was already starting to around here. Just what everyone needed, an idiot with weapons and a sense of entitlement thinking they could run things. Good people deserved to be to protected from scum like them and Richard was going to be the one to do it. No matter what it took.

 

oOo

 

Sandra stood perfectly still at attention, wriggling her toes inside her shoes just like she had been taught. She wasn’t going to be the one who fainted during Parade. Today was unseasonably warm and here they all were, the class of 2029, all trussed up and aiming for perfection as the Commissioner presided over their graduation parade. She might have ticked the box on an undecided whim, but this was where she was supposed to be, she knew that now. Others around her might be taller, faster, stronger, but her mind was quicker. She wanted to ‘Protect and Serve’ and was going to.

Her parents were tentative at first about her career choice. It was incredibly dangerous they had said, it’s a hard job for a woman. It’s a hard job for anyone, she countered. Boyfriends didn’t understand the commitment it took. She hadn’t found the right one who did accept that she needed to study, she needed to go for that run, or if they were at the Academy too, well, she didn’t want to think about him. Tool.

She would show them and she would show herself what she could do for people.

 

oOo

 

“Well, I think you earned this, Officer Kennex,” his dad said as he put the beer down in front of him.

John smiled to see it and the title. He picked up the bottle, turning it a little to see the light glint off the liquid inside. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his dad lift up his own bottle. They clinked the bottles together and took a sip in silence, also together. John loved that, they were together, both cops now, everything that he had always wanted to be. It was better than he had thought.

He and Trevor and some of the other boys were going out tonight to celebrate, but this, right now, was the best part of the day. Definitely better than his mom crying as she hugged him. Much better than that; he knew he was going to cop shit for that later.

“So Sunday, you coming out with me and the boys?” his dad asked.

That stopped John as he was about to take another sip. He looked out over the water that he could see from the large windows. His dad loved his Sunday outings with the boys out on the boat. John had gone when he was younger, but _now_ , now he was one of them and being invited along.

“Why not,” he responded, playing it cool.

His dad laughed. You couldn’t fool the great Detective Kennex. John knew that there was a smile lurking at the corner of his mouth as he lifted up his beer to take another drink.

“Now tonight, don’t get too drunk, and start off at McQuaid’s. They’ll treat you boys right, there,” his dad advised.

John nodded, listening to his mother bustling around in the living room in the background, leaving him and Dad alone for a bit. She was very understanding, and John hoped eventually to find a woman like her to share his life with, but not just yet.

“Thanks, Dad,” John said. “I’ll keep them in line.”

“You mean you will be first in line to the bar, or the women?”

“Can’t it be both?” John smiled. Trevor had his eye on this pretty blonde at the moment, it seemed to be heading toward serious territory, so John knew there wouldn’t be too much competition from him. The others, well they weren’t him, so no competition at all really.

“Don’t get too cocky, that leads to people getting hurt.” His dad had his ‘serious’ face on. The one that John knew was imparting wisdom to those that need to know better. It was time to listen and soon it would be time to enjoy things with his friends and then on Monday, he would start on the job. He couldn’t wait.

 

oOo

 

Valerie looked at the uniform laid out on the bed, perfectly pressed and still. Not a crease except for where there should be creases. The white gloves, the dark navy of the jacket and pants, spotless and free from dog hair. That had taken her most of the night to clean off. She glanced at her reflection, makeup perfect, hair neatly back into a low braid around the base of her neck, all the better for the cap to sit perfect. She had practiced getting it just right.

Her hands shook a little as she reached for the shirt. Today everything had to be perfect. She was going to do her best that it happen that way. She had known for a long time that she wanted to be a cop, but her time at the Academy just made it even clearer to herself. This is what she was always meant to do.

While her fellow cadets would go out on the weekends to let off steam, she only joined them occasionally. Sometimes you had to spend a little more time studying for your future. Tonight, she would go out with her family, then meet a few of the others for drinks. She would allow herself that and enjoy herself for that moment. Next week it would start for real, out there.

 

oOo

 

“This is it, Paulie! No going back once we walk out there,” Henry said, arm draped over Richard’s shoulder.

They both looked out past the other cadets, milling about and straightening ties and things on each other. Through the tunnel and out to the Parade ground. Out there was everyone waiting to see them graduate.

“You’re creasing my uniform,” Richard said as he smiled and pushed Henry away by the face.

“Oh we can’t have you less than dapper while Cadet Torval is around.” Henry was back to sticking his face in front of Richard’s, mischievous grin in place.

“Why don’t you say it a bit louder?” Richard said as he snuck a look in her direction, and she glanced back at the pair of them. “You know,” Richard said, cutting off Henry knowing that he would just take that as a challenge. “You do that and I might have to tell everyone about that rash you managed to pick up from Joe’s.”

“Fucker!” Henry complained, but with that good natured way he had, and quietly so that he couldn’t be assigned any last minute demerits. Sometimes Richard wondered why they were friends, but Henry was good people deep down, past the clowning facade, and it would make a pretty good cop. Also he was the only one Richard would allow to call him ‘Paulie’. Henry was probably going to be a beat cop for life, he just had that nature, but Richard had his eye on being a detective at the very least.

The instructors were starting to make the final movement along the lines, so he and Henry got themselves into position, after a quick final check over each other. Spick and span, neat as a pin, tests all over, psych evals done, questionnaires filled out, exams finalized, and nothing left to do but perfectly march around the square and stand still while being talked at. Henry was now blocking his view of Torval, with that hulking frame of his. It was a pity because she did look good in that uniform.

“Cadets! Attention!” Instructor Burkovitz yelled out in her booming voice.

Almost as one, the class snapped to attention, heels clicking. Time for goofing off over. Once they walked out there, they would be on their way to being a cop. Richard couldn’t wait, he could taste it. Time to do what he knew he was born to do.

Protect and Serve.


End file.
